Spiral-guide fire-escape



A.. W. BUTTERFiELD. sPmAL GUIDE H'REESCAPE.

'APPLICATION HLED/SEPLSO, |920.

Patented June 21, 1921.l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPIRAL-GIDE FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 21 1921.

VApplication filed September 30, 1920. Serial No. 413,826.

To all whom t 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALFRED WOOD BUTTER- rIELD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Portland, in the county of Multnomah, State ofOregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spiral- GuideFire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My )invention relates to improvements in spiral guide fire escapes, andit consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements hereindescribed and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a portable re escape comprisinga cable adapted to be secured to anchoring means in an elevated positionto depend therefrom and means adapted to be grasped by the hand andslidably disposed on the cablel to engage therewith in such a mannerthat such means moves slowly downwardly along the cable when a load issuspended therefrom as under the impetus of the weight of an operator.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed that can be folded to occupy a very small space when not inuse, and that is light in weight, wherefore the device may be carriedabout from place to place, as in a traveling bag or the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed that can be instantly operatively applied to anchoring means,as for instance to a easement sash or the like within a room located onan upper floor, wherefore the device is immediately available for use.

A further object of my invention is to provide in. a device of the typedescribed a hand grip provided with a spiral groove adapted to receive acable or the like in such a manner that the rate of movement of -thehand grip along the cable is retarded by the engagement of the walls ofthe groove with the cable.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed that can be produced in large quantities at a small cost andwhich is thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the followingspecification., and the novel features of the invention will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming partof this applicatlon, in which Figure l is a reduced side elevation ofthe device,

Fig. 2 -is a central longitudinal section through a full-sized portionof the device, a portion thereof being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, I

Eig. 4 is a section along the line 4 4 of big. 2,

Fig 5 is a view showing the use and application of the device.

` In carrying out my invention., I provide a suitable length'of cable orrope l which may be formed of any suitable material, such as Manila hemporthe like, it only being essential to my invention that a relativelystrong and flexible cable be provided. One end of the cable l isprovided with a hook 2 for engaging with any conveniently locatedanchoring means. Slidably disposed onthe cable or rope l is a hand gripcomprising an outer substantially cylindrical casing 3 open at each endand formed with a boss or rounded bead i intermediate its length andwith a similar boss or bead 5 at one end thereof. Consequently, the handgrip may be grasped by both hands of an operator, one hand beingpositioned above the other and each being prevented from slipping fromthe hand grip by the bosses or beads. The hand gripmay also be iiuted,knurled, or finished in any other well known manner to prevent theslipping thereof from the hands of the operator. Y

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2, 8, and 4, it will be noted that Ishow the hand grip casing 3 as comprising two semi-cylindrical portions.Obviously, the casing 3 may be formed of one cylindrical member.

Within the casing 3 is disposed a cylindrical core or body portion 6having a length equal to that of the casing. The core 6 has arcuatesimilar recesses 7 7 adjacent each end thereof. One of the half portionsof the casing 3 has spaced apart slots 8 8 and 9 9 extending obliquelythrough the wall of that portion of the casing at the ends thereof. Theother side walls of the slots 8 8 are alined with the end walls of thearcuate recesses 7 -7 while the corresponding side walls of the slots 99 are alined with the end walls of the other of the arcuate recesses 77. Spring clips 10-10 that llO closely engage the inner wall of theunslotted portion of the casing 3 at each end thereof have enlargedoutwardly turned ends 11-11 arranged to enter the slots 8-8 and 9-9,whereby the half portions of the casing 3 are secured together. Theinner ends of the spring' clips 10-10 rest upon shoulders 12-12 definedbythe arcuate recesses 7-7 in opposite ends of the lcore 6 and yare sose cured by means of rivets 13-13, or the like, extending through the.wall of the i unslotted portion of the casing 3 to prevent movement ofthe core 6 relative to the casing. vA continuous guideway extending theentire length of the core 6 and adapted to slidably receive the cable 1comprises central bores 111-14 in the ends of the core 6, having theirends spirally directed at 16-16 to the exterior of the core toprovide aplurality of convolutionsof aspirally directed slot 15 in the outer wallof the core 6. The number of convolutions may vary but in the form ofthe device now preferred by me is three.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of thedevice, theoperation thereof may be readily understood. The hook 2 is securedto-any fixed member, such as the screw eye 17, within the interior of aroom indicated generally at 18. One or more oftheslidable hand grips isnormally positioned on the cable 1 adjacent the hook 2. The other end ofthe cable is then lowered from a window or. other openingof the room 18.An operator 19 occupying theroom 18 may then descend to .the ground orother place of safety by lirmly grasping the hand grip in both hands tosuspend his body therefrom in the manner shown. T he weight ofhis bodyoccasions the movement of the hand grip downwardly. The rate of traveldownwardly of the hand grip is sufliciently retarded by the passageofthe cable through the spiral guidew-ay inthe hand grip to 'permit thedescent to the ground `to be made conveniently and without injury totheoperators person.

In Fig. 5, two additional hand-grips are shown in reserve `on the cable1 and may be used successively by two persons occupyingthe room 18 inVaddition to the operator place when needed.

An operator, when ,using the device, ,may safely descend-a cable withoutburning or chaiing hishandsas might otherwise occur. Should the rope 1beheldfirmlyat itsvlower end, the rate of movement of the hand` gripwill be decelerated to a sto Consequently, therrate of movement ofthehand grip can be in a measureregulated bya person ,on

l the ground.

In a device Vof the characterV described a iexible cable anda hand grip,said hand griphaving an outer casing consisting of va pair ofsemi-cylindrical members, one of said semi-cylindrical members beingformed with spaced apartohliquely extending slots in its walls atl eachendthereof, a. core having a length equal'to-.thatrof the casing and.being formed with an arcuate recess at eachend thereof ,and beingfashioned to provide a spiral guideway extending the length thereof andadapted f to receive the flexible cable,

the end walls ,ofsaid recesses being respectively alined with the side`walls of the corresponding slots, and a spring memberintermediatelysecured td the inner wall of the second of said :semi-cylindricalmembers at each end thereof and having its ends arranged to entervsa'idslots to re-act .against the walls thereof Ato releasably and firmlyclamp said semi-cylindrical memhersto Vone another,V said spring membersbeing `positioned to abut againstthe end walls of said recessestomaintain said casing in` adjusted position relativeto said core.

ALFRED WOOD BUTTERFIELD.

